A Shorten Labor Government would invest $71 million to build a fuel pipeline to the new Western Sydney Airport to avoid the need for trucks to cart dozens of loads of aviation fuel through Sydney suburbs each day.
 
The investment would secure reliable fuel supplies for the airport without adding to traffic congestion on Sydney’s already clogged roads.
 
The New South Wales Government is currently undertaking work to identify route options for the pipeline.
 
Western Sydney Airport will open in 2026 and be a catalyst for massive job growth in aviation and related industries.
 
Infrastructure Australia has calculated that without a pipeline, the airport would require up to 65 B-double tankers to deliver fuel each day when it reaches full capacity.
 
Furthermore, Deloitte modelling found the cost of using these tankers, including the damage to local roads, would be $140 million over a 25-year period, double the cost of building the fuel pipeline which the same report identified as the most cost effective way of meeting the Airport’s fuel needs.
 
While the new airport will be an economic game-changer for Western Sydney, the last thing residents need is dozens of trucks passing through their suburbs to deliver fuel.
 
A Shorten Labor Government would work with the New South Wales Government to finalise plans for a pipeline and deliver the $71 million construction cost via an equity injection into the Western Sydney Airport Corporation.
 
While there is bipartisan support for the airport, the Coalition has yet to commit to a pipeline, despite the fact that Infrastructure Australia has been advising it to identify and preserve a corridor since 2016.
 
Labor stands ready to deliver the Western Sydney Airport, but to do so in a way that minimises the impact on the region’s residents while maximising its economic benefits.
 
This election is a choice between Labor’s plans to build the infrastructure our communities need, or bigger tax loopholes for the top end of town under the Liberals.